


one year later

by lipsstainedbloodred



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort without the Comfort, Kandreil - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 14:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lipsstainedbloodred/pseuds/lipsstainedbloodred
Summary: Neil takes Andrew and Kevin out for their anniversary dinner, but things don't really go according to plan.





	one year later

**Author's Note:**

> for the prompt: "no, it was my fault for thinking you cared."
> 
> follow me on tumblr @cigarettesmokeandexyracquets

“This is stupid,” Kevin says for the fifth time since they got in the car.

Andrew’s grunt of acknowledgement lets Neil know that he feels the same way. Neil ignores the two of them and pulls into a parking spot at a nice Italian restaurant in Columbia. “Just humor me.” Neil says, turning off the engine.

“What do you think we’re doing?” Andrew says, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him as he gets out of the passenger seat.

Kevin, not having the same tact, slams his door shut to let Neil know how annoyed his is at having to cancel their night practice for a date night. Kevin opens his mouth to comment once more on the fact that spring championships are only a week away and they should be spending every spare second they have on the court, but a chilly look from Andrew has him shutting his mouth. 

Neil tells the hostess about their reservation and the woman smiles politely, leading the trio to their table and leaving them with their menus. Dinner is a quiet enough affair, if not a bit tense. Kevin and Andrew make it clear through out the course of the dinner that neither of them want to be here tonight. 

Kevin would rather be on the court. Andrew would rather be in bed. Neil gets quiet around the time their entrees are delivered. “And another thing,” Kevin says, pushing his pasta around his plate to seek out slices of chicken, “You have no reason to be so quiet. This was your bright idea in the first place.”

“One that I’m starting to regret.” Neil says dryly.

When the waiter asks if they’d like to order dessert Kevin says “no” at the same time Neil says “yes”. The waiter looks between the two of them, confused. “We don’t need it,” Kevin says. “You’re supposed to be sticking to the diet plan I gave you at the start of the year.” 

“People tend to get dessert on their anniversary, Kevin.” Neil replies with a cold smile.

Kevin’s eyes widen and he exchanges a look with Andrew. Andrew had looked bored and unimpressed all night, but the look he has now is intense. Neither of them had thought about what day it was. Neil takes advantage of the silence to order a piece of chocolate cake to split between the three of them and the waiter rushes off to fill the order.

“Today is our anniversary?” Kevin asks once the waiter has left the table.

“The last time I checked,” Andrew says, “we weren’t together.”

Neil doesn’t bother to put on a smile, “You keep saying that, and yet, here we are. One year later.”

“Someone’s gotten sentimental.” 

“I’ve never been allowed to be before.”

Kevin just looks lost. He clears his throat a little before looking at Neil, “Why didn’t you just tell us back at the dorm?”

“That I wanted to take the two of you out to dinner for our one year anniversary?” Neil replies. He blows out a heavy sigh and shakes his head. “Maybe because I knew how stupid it would sound out loud.”

The waiter brings their cake and Andrew ends up eating most of it. Kevin is busy dealing with the roiling ball of guilt building in the bottom of his stomach and Neil is distracted. Neil leaves to much money for the bill and gets up silently to leave. On the way to the car Kevin breaks the silence with a soft, “Neil-”.

“No,” Neil says, letting Andrew take the driver’s seat for their ride to the house in Columbia.

They don’t speak again until they get to the house and Andrew unlocks the front door. Andrew gives Neil a significant look and Neil sighs. “I never thought I’d get to have this.” Neil says, motioning between himself and the two of them. “I never thought I’d even want to have something like this. I thought it had been beaten out of me years ago. And then Andrew told me to stay,” Neil looks at Andrew and then at Kevin, “and you told me I could be someone. And it meant everything.

So yes, maybe I am getting a little sentimental, but we’ve been through a lot.” Neil runs a hand over his forearm, like he’s trying to feel the scars through the fabric. “We’ve been through a lot, and that’s something worth celebrating.”

Kevin doesn’t know how to respond. Neil stares at him for a long time until Andrew gets frustrated and says, “Are we going in the house or are we going to stand on the porch all night?” Neil breaks eye contact with Kevin to go inside.

“What do you want us to say?” Kevin asks as they walk through the door. “We’re sorry?”

“No,” Neil says, scrubbing a hand over his face. He looks tired. “It’s my fault for thinking you might care about this the same way that I do. Let’s just go to bed and forget about it.”

They get ready for bed in relative silence, avoiding brushing against each other in the bathroom as they brush their teeth and wash their faces. Neil hesitates in the doorway of Andrew’s bedroom. They’ve always slept in the same bed in Columbia for the past year, but tonight Neil is unsure if he’s welcome. He dropped a lot on them tonight and he wouldn’t be surprised if Andrew needed time to process. But at Neil’s hesitation Andrew turns around and says, “Well? Aren’t you coming?”

“Is that what you want?”

“Get over here, Josten.”

Neil gets into bed, back against Andrew’s chest, Kevin pressing in on him from the other side. Kevin runs a hand along Neil’s face, thumb running over his cheekbone carefully. It’s quiet, and Neil falls asleep like that, his heart heavy.


End file.
